The present invention relates to a supported confectionery product wherein the support comprises a handle and contains an additional prize, or surprise, that is, an additional premium to be given to the purchaser of the confectionery product. Generally, such a prize is a small novelty product that will be of a size similar to that of the confectionery product.
The confectionery product on a stick, or lollipop, has long been a favorite of children, as well as adults. In addition to lollipops, which are generally comprised, at least in part, of hard or "glass" candy, sometimes with a chewy or liquid center, supported by an inedible handle, also include other confectionery products, such as frozen confections, ice cream or frozen yogurt, fruit ices, and chewy caramel products of various shapes and sizes. Generally, the handle is a relatively long stick, with the confectionery product enveloping, and supported by, one end of the stick. The other end of the stick serves as the handle for the person eating the confectionery product. Generally, once the confectionery product is fully consumed, the handle is discarded, as the handle is usually a substantially valueless material originally made of wood or rolled paper, but now often made of a rigid, food-grade plastic material.
It is also well known to so form the handles, or sticks, that they, themselves, constitute a premium incentive for the purchase of the confectionery product. For example, the handle or stick may be itself formed with ornamental features suitable for use as toys, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,615,596, or 3,085,883. The handle for a confectionery product can itself also have a useful function, such as being a whistle or flute, as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,617,324, or 1,609,791. In one interesting manifestation, a quiz game can be played where a question is presented on the exposed handle and the answer is presented on the covered portion of the stick and cannot be learned until the confection is eaten.
In addition, the handles have also been designed as a disposable package, to enclose an additional prize, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,403. In somewhat more sophisticated devices, the handle for the confection, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,748, comprises a flashlight, with the confection serving as an additional lens, when the confection is transparent or translucent. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,054, the handle is a power-driven motor which causes the confection at the end of the stick to move in various predetermined types of motions.
In none of these systems, however, is there provided a prize which can be hidden and at the same time is placed into a reusable container, thus providing, in effect, a double prize: the surprise within the container and the reusable container itself.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,302,403, where the prize is hidden within the portion covered by the confection, in order to open the handle to remove the prize, the housing is substantially destroyed and cannot be reused.
German laid open application DE 4141727A-1 discloses a container comprised of two hingedly connected half shells. A confectionery portion encompasses an end of the shells, a food product or toy being enclosed in the shells. The shells may be opened to access the contents only after the confectionery portion is completely consumed.
A deficiency of the device of German disclosure resides in the fact that a consumer, normally a child, is eager to obtain the prize, and resents the necessity of consuming the entire confection portion, i.e. a hard candy, before the container can be opened.
There is clearly a need for a confectionery product which provides a container for a prize, and a confectionery portion limiting access to the container characterized in that only limited increments of the confectionery portion need be removed to enable the container to be opened. In the device of the invention, after a child partially consumes the confection, the container may be opened and the prize contained therein inspected. The child may then return the prize to the container while the remainder of the confection portion is consumed.